Fathers, do not exasperate your
children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of
the Lord. (NIV)
Fathers, do not provoke your
children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and
instruction of the Lord. (ESV)
EPHESIANS 6:4
This necessary reminder from the
book of Ephesians has been ringing in my ears as of late. Going a
little bit deeper, I began to think of all
the situations this obvious wisdom applies to. Paul is talking
to fathers who are active in the lives of their children but it
seems to me that he is also speaking to fathers who have left their
children or are considering leaving their children.
What would exasperate a child more
than not having access to their father? What about
those of us whose fathers left when we were very young?
Infants do not verbally express their anger at
the departure of a parent but they certainly feel the
pain that this hole creates. They suffer due to the
absence of their father in their lives. If the child is old
enough to understand and acknowledge that dad has left he or
she may or may not feel capable of expressing this anger. Not
to say that it is not expresses because often it is. Anger usually
has no choice but to find its way out of the body.
Exasperation it seems, creeps up on you like it
does in the frog in the boiling water in an analogy
that is often pulled out. If you attempt to place a frog in already
boiling water he will obviously resist and jump out. However, if
this same frog is placed in a pan with water and the heat is
gradually turned up he begins to adjust and eventually allows
himself to be boiled to death.
What about children whose parents
remain married, happily or not, do these children experience the
pain of this hole as well? Of course they do, if their fathers are
not actively involved in their lives. This also occurs very
gradually. Sons and daughters will approach their parents
often in their early years for comfort, companionship, advice,
encouragement. How these contacts are handled shapes whether or not
a child believes that their father truly cares, can be relied on,
loves them.
Step into the shoes of your
children. What is more exasperating than believing
that your father does not have time for you or is not willing to
make time for you?
K
Ministries 
